"No thanks": Netflix's choice of Jewish actress as Mary fuels boycott movement online

Netflix's upcoming faith-based thriller, Mary, which is slated to arrive on December 6, 2024, has already generated quite a bit of controversy for various reasons. But recently, the movie has come under scrutiny for Noa Cohen, who is set to play the titular character in the film. This is primarily because of Cohen being Jewish and her publicly showing her support for Israel on her social media platform.

While the titular character was indeed Jewish and this should not have generated a backlash for being historically accurate, the timing of the release, coupled with Netflix allegedly removing Palestinian content from their site, has created a mass uproar on social media platforms like X.

One user summed this up with a picture of Noa Cohen's Instagram profile, saying:

"No thanks."

Some users countered this post saying it was right for a Jewish woman to play a Jewish character but many added to the backlash over the casting choice.

"We canceled y’all for removing all documentaries about Gaza."- another user added.

"You've removed all Palestinian content from your platform. #BoycottNetflix"- another user said.

"I already see some issues in the Trailer. People, don’t expect anything orthodox from Netflix."- another user added.

Some other users added:

"I'm an offended Catholic. F**king have an Israeli play Mary? May you all be f**king smited. Blasphemous.- an user added.

"It's utterly disrespectful to portray religious figures in such a trivialized manner, especially when it’s done for profit or entertainment. The casting of an Israeli actress to play Mary, the mother of Jesus, is not just a casting choice—it's a clear political statement that trivializes sacred beliefs. Christians worldwide hold Mary in reverence, and to commercialize her image like this is nothing short of sacrilege."- another user noted.

Netflix has not given an explanation about why it chose to discontinue a large chunk of Palestinian content on its site.

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Why is Mary's casting causing backlash on social media platforms?

While accurate in terms of the story, a Jewish woman who showed her support to Israel in the troubled times of conflict has seemingly set off a chain of negative reactions.

This was fueled by the recent development in Netflix, where it removed its Palestinian Stories collection. This included many great works that worked as a window to the world of Palestinians and especially the struggle they endured for decades.

With no direct explanation, Netflix has maintained that the move was standard and that it had simply discontinued the licenses to these films, as they do for many other movies that do not bring in sufficient revenue.

This has already created significant controversy online and the new casting of Noa Cohen as Mary has only added fuel to the fire.

Apart from this casting choice, there are plenty of reasons why the movie may create a backlash as it deals with a very sensitive subject and Netflix has always been accused of inaccurately portraying historical elements.

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Mary will premiere on Netflix on December 6, 2024. Stay tuned for more updates.